Hübinette Claims Runner-up Honors in 2008 Formula Drift Championship
Team Mopar NuFormz Dodge Viper SRT10® driver Samuel Hübinette just missed in his bid for a third Formula Drift (FD) championship, taking the runner-up spot in the final FD points standings after exiting in the second round of the Round Seven: Final Fight event at Southern California's Irwindale Speedway on Saturday, Oct.11.
Hübinette, the 2004 and 2006 FD champion, tapped the wall and suffered damage to his Mopar-powered Viper during practice on Friday. The NuFormz Racing crew of Brad Manka, Scott Stanwood and Derek Graciano had the car back in tip-top shape for qualifying on Saturday, where Hübinette captured the No. 4 spot.
After earning a bye in the first round of tandem eliminations when Conrad Gruenwald was unable to stage due to mechanical problems, Hübinette matched up with M. Takatori in the Great Eight round. The "Crazy Swede" had an uncharacteristic spin on the first tandem run, ending his night and dashing his chances to catch points leader and eventual champion Tanner Foust.
"It's a great start for 2009," said NuFormz Racing owner and team manager Shaun Carlson. "The team worked well all season. We took three No. 1 qualifier spots and three podium finishes this year, and we're going to continue to move forward and try to dominate next year."
"Overall, it's been a great championship battle," said Hübinette. "I'm very stoked about the excellent performance of Mopar power and BFGoodrich tires throughout the year. The NuFormz team has been working hard and they deserve big applause. Of course, we're all about winning a championship, but to finish second this year after taking fifth in 2007, we feel good. We'll try to bring home our third championship next year."
For more info on the Formula Drift standings, visit http://www.formuladrift.com.
